At this year’s Perrysburg Invitational Tournament, Perrysburg junior and hopefully Olympian Marcus Blaze tries to take down Toledo Waite wrestler Phoenix Contos.
Lee Welch|Sentinel-Tribune file
STATE COLLEGE, Penn. — Perrysburg High School junior Marcus Blaze, a three-time state champion, began his quest to be a member of the United States Olympic Team on Friday.
The 2024 Olympic Wrestling Team Trials will be held Friday and Saturday at the Bryce Jordan Center in State College, Pennsylvania.
The field is now set for who is eligible to compete at the Olympic Trials, and Blaze, who will compete at 57 kilograms, is one of very few high school wrestlers who qualified to participate.
Blaze finished his junior year at Perrysburg 50-1, winning his third Division I state title over Lakewood St. Edward junior Adam Butler 54 seconds into the second period. He pinned his way through the entire state tournament.
Perrysburg coach Scott Burnett has long known that in Blaze he has a one-of-a-kind wrestler in his presence.
“He’s special. He’s generational,” Burnett said. “We have to enjoy him. He’s a great human being. He’s a leader.
“He’s got some really big goals — he wants to be an Olympic champion, he wants to build off his 17U World Championship (won in Istanbul, Turkey last summer), he loves our team, and he loves our program.”
Blaze has been preparing for this opportunity for a long time.
“It’s just another step in the big process that I’m taking at the moment,” Blaze said. “I’m just focusing on that, especially the Freestyle and having fun with that.”
Blaze says when he steps onto the mat, it’s all about having fun. In his words, you have to treat it like a “game.”
“It feels good but when you’re having fun it makes stuff a lot easier,” Blaze said. “When you’re having fun and you smile and make everything a game it makes stuff a lot easier.”
The Perrysburg junior says he has a great support system around him, too, starting with coach Burnett.
“He’s like a father-figure to me,” Blaze said. “He mentors me a lot, always has me sharp and ready to go, and obviously that pays off, and you can see it with other guys, too.”
He takes that further to include his family, like his father Joe Blaze III, his grandfather Joe Blaze II, and his brother, Joe Blaze IV, who is wrestling at Purdue University and qualified for the NCAA Division I tournament this year.
“My grandfather and my parents are always supporting me — they are my biggest support,” Marcus said.
Blaze qualified for the Olympic Trials by winning a U17 world title last summer. Blaze, who’s still uncommitted, defeated Cornell recruit Anthony in two straight matches to make the U17 World Team last year and also defeated Matt Ramos at the Clarion Open.
Blaze hasn’t competed on the senior level yet, but like one of the other contenders, Luke Lilledahl, “no one should be surprised if he beats an established wrestler or two to make a run in this bracket,” wrote Jon Kozak of Flo Wrestling.
“I don’t think Blaze can beat (Spencer) Lee, (Daton) Fix, (Thomas) Gilman, or Vito (Arujau) but I think he’ll be in close matches with everyone else at 57 kilogram.”
Arujau is out, though.
“(57 kilograms) is one of the few weights at the Olympic trials with no clear favorite,” Kozak says.
“First, it’s important to note that Vito Arujau will not be wrestling at the Olympic Trials. He would have added even more intrigue to this weight class but recently announced he’ll have to miss the trials because of an injury.
“Instead, (Zane Richards, Gilman, Fix, and Lee) all have a case for being considered the ‘man to beat’ at this weight,” Kozak says. “The depth and parity at 57 kilograms is amazing and might be the best of any weight at the Olympic Trials.
“It wouldn’t be surprising if any of the top guys win but I’m going with Spencer Lee based on what I’ve seen from him at the 2023 Bill Farrell and 2023 Senior Nationals. When wrestling his best, Lee is one of the most effective wrestlers in the world transitioning from his neutral offense to turns on top.
“Spencer Lee is also the healthiest he’s been in years and I believe that will result in the best performance of his career.”
Kozak says Lee is coming off impressive performances at the 2023 Bill Farrell and 2023 Senior Nationals where he won gold at both tournaments by going a combined 7-0 with five technical falls and outscoring his opponents 67-7.
Beyond his recent performances, Lee has one of the best age-level accolades as a three-time age-level champion winning a cadet world title in 2014 and junior world titles in 2015 and 2016.
